Information Night to be held Dec. 9 for parents and students interested in Seven Valleys New Tech Academy

Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES will host an information night on Wednesday, December 9 at 6 p.m. for parents and students interested in learning more about Seven Valleys New Tech Academy, which will open in Cortland County in Fall 2016. The event will be held at the OCM BOCES Education Center - McEvoy Campus, 1710 NYS Route 13, Cortland, in Room 701 in the conference center behind the main building. Food will be provided.


The school will serve area high school students in grades 9-12, and will provide an innovative learning environment that aims to improve students' college and career readiness through project-based learning, collaborative workspace and technology. The school will also be a site for teacher training. Seven Valleys New Tech Academy will be located at 240 Port Watson Street, Cortland.



The school will accommodate 100 students and employ nine teachers and staff. Renovations of the building have commenced and are expected to be completed in July 2016. The school will feature modern classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, computers for all faculty and students, and a conference facility where teachers will come to learn about the school and project-based learning.


The creation of Seven Valleys New Tech Academy is OCM BOCES' latest step in its fulfillment of the Central New York Regional Vision for College, Career and Citizenship Readiness, a steadfast commitment to preparing students for their future as lifelong learners, as skilled workers or entrepreneurs, and as global citizens.


Seven Valleys New Tech Academy joins Innovation Tech High School, which OCM BOCES opened in Liverpool in 2014, as the first and only two New Tech schools in Central New York. New Tech schools are part of the New Tech Network, a non-profit organization that provides services and support nationwide to schools, districts and communities for developing public schools in which project-based learning is the primary instructional approach. Founded in Napa, California, in 1996, New Tech is made up approximately 175 schools in 28 states, China and Australia.


The New Tech Network and the CNY Regional Vision share three main tenets, which are "instruction that engages," "culture that empowers," and "technology that enables," a philosophy which strives to empower students with engaging instruction and real-world learning opportunities, while providing a collaborative, interactive, technology-based learning environment.

OCM BOCES to open Seven Valleys New Tech Academy in September 2016

Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES will open Seven Valleys New Tech Academy in Cortland County in Fall 2016, the organization announced this week. The creation of the school was announced last July.

The school will serve area high school students in grades 9-12, and will provide an innovative learning environment that aims to improve students’ college and career readiness through project-based learning, collaborative workspace and technology. The school will also be a site for teacher training. Seven Valleys New Tech Academy will be located at 240 Port Watson Street, Cortland.

“We are excited to bring this state-of-the-art learning environment to the students and educators of Cortland County,” says OCM BOCES Superintendent J. Francis Manning. “The school is the culmination of years of planning—with all of the school superintendents working together on the concept and planning. Businesses, too, are providing direction and connections to the real-world.”

The creation of Seven Valleys New Tech Academy is OCM BOCES’ latest step in its fulfillment of the Central New York Regional Vision for College, Career and Citizenship Readiness, a steadfast commitment to preparing students for their future as lifelong learners, as skilled workers or entrepreneurs, and as global citizens.

The school will accommodate 100 students and employ 9 teachers and staff. Renovations of the building have commenced and are expected to be completed in July 2016. The school will feature modern classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, computers for all faculty and students, and a conference facility where teachers will come to learn about the school and project-based learning.

Seven Valleys New Tech Academy joins Innovation Tech High School, which OCM BOCES opened in Liverpool in 2014, as the first and only two New Tech schools in Central New York. New Tech schools are part of the New Tech Network, a non-profit organization that provides services and support nationwide to schools, districts and communities for developing public schools in which project-based learning is the primary instructional approach. Founded in Napa, California, in 1996, New Tech is made up approximately 175 schools in 28 states, China and Australia.

The New Tech Network and the CNY Regional Vision share three main tenets, which are “instruction that engages,” “culture that empowers,” and “technology that enables,” a philosophy which strives to empower students with engaging instruction and real-world learning opportunities, while providing a collaborative, interactive, technology-based learning environment.

OCM BOCES to open Cortland County New Tech high school in Fall 2016

The Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services (OCM BOCES) will open a New Tech high school in Cortland County in September 2016. The school will serve area high school students in grades 9-12, and will provide an innovative learning environment that aims to improve students’ college and career readiness through project-based learning, collaborative workspace and technology.

The school will also serve to equip teachers with resources that facilitate the creation of engaging curriculums with relevance to the needs of the 21st century. The new school, which has not yet been named, will be located at 240 Port Watson Street, Cortland.

“Not only will this be a school for students, but it will also be a place where teachers from all OCM BOCES districts will come to learn about project-based learning and innovative practices,” says OCM BOCES Superintendent J. Francis Manning.

There are currently more than 150 New Tech schools in 29 states across the country. This new school will join Innovation Tech High School, which OCM BOCES opened in Liverpool last fall, as the first and only two New Tech schools in Central New York.

Manning recently invited local school district leaders and local business partners together to the OCM BOCES McEvoy campus to discuss the Central New York Regional Vision for College, Career and Citizenship Readiness and ways in which both groups can collaborate and work together to provide engaging projects, shadowing opportunities, and internships for students that will be attending the new school. Cortland business leaders provided input and guidance about which employee skills and attributes would most benefit their organizations and the Cortland community.

The Central New York Regional Vision for College, Career and Citizenship Readiness represents a steadfast commitment to preparing students for their future as lifelong learners, as skilled workers or entrepreneurs, and as global citizens.

The New Tech Network and the CNY Regional Vision share three main tenets, which are “instruction that engages,” “culture that empowers,” and “technology that enables,” a philosophy which strives to empower students with engaging instruction and real-world learning opportunities, while providing a collaborative, interactive, technology-based learning environment.

New Tech High School student-created video

Click on the video link below to watch a student-created video about New Tech. OCM BOCES is bringing New Tech to Central New York through Innovation Tech.

A new kind of high school coming to Central New York - Innovation Tech to open in September 2014

The world has changed. Work has changed. Technology has changed. Communication has changed. The pace of the world has changed. But for the large part, schools in Central New York have stayed the same. Until now that is. In September of 2014, Central New York will open the doors to Innovation Tech, the area’s first-ever New Tech High School. 

While there are more than 130 New Tech schools across the country, Innovation Tech will be the first in Central New York and will be located at the Lee G. Peters Career Training Center in Liverpool.

Innovation Tech is a school that understands the changes that are rapidly taking place in the world and recognizes and supports the need to be prepared with 21^st Century Skills for life and work in our changing world. 

Innovation Tech provides an empowering culture, with learning that is relevant, student-driven and truly reflects 21^st Century Learning and the global environment in which we live. 

“Without a doubt, New Tech Schools are redefining secondary education,” said Jody Manning, district superintendent for OCM BOCES. “Students become self-directed learners who no longer depend on teachers and textbooks in a search of a single, right answer. They use technology on a regular basis, not just for special projects.”

At Innovation Tech, the approach to learning begins with teaching that is engaging, utilizing a project based learning approach. 

Karen Clark has been the OCM BOCES Director of Alternative Education for seven years and is excited about her role in bringing Innovation Tech to Central New York. She said, “This model truly engages students through a technology-based approach to solving real world problems by employing business partnerships for authentic learning and meaningful collaboration.”

At Innovation Tech, students work in teams on authentic projects to develop critical thinking and communication skills. Teamwork builds social skills and encourages the strong work ethic that is absolutely critical in today's business environment. Teams embrace the talents and perspectives that each team member brings to the project.

All students at Innovation Tech earn college credit, participate in internships, and give back to the community through service learning. The program is available for students in grades 9-12. 

Students are invited to apply through their home school district administrator of school counselor. School districts identify their pool of candidates for Innovation Tech. If needed, a lottery system is employed when the number of candidates exceeds the availability of seats at Innovation Tech. Once applications are reviewed, all potential candidates and their families will have an interview with staff from Innovation Tech. Enrollment is limited. If a student is selected to enroll at Innovation Tech, he/she will participate in orientation activities prior to the first day of school.

BOCES is holding an information night for parents and students interested in Innovation Tech at the school (4500 Crown Road) in Liverpool from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 9. Interested students should also talk to their school guidance counselors for more information. 

For additional information about Innovation Tech, visit us online at innovationtech.us. 

Click here to watch the News Channel 9 video news story about Innovation Tech.

Click here to read the Syracuse.com 3/27/14 article on Innovation Tech.

Click here to read the letter to the editor about Innovation Tech from District Superintendent Jody Manning.